Dallas Cowboys Edge New York Giants, 24-17, In Season Opener

The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants kicked off the 2012-13 NFL regular season with an exciting contest between two of the NFC’s best team. When it was all said and done, the Cowboys managed to hang on to a late lead and earned their first win of the season, 24-17. For the Giants, it’s not exactly how they wanted to start their Super Bowl defense.

New York struggled to gain momentum in the rushing game early in the contest and Victor Cruz had some big time drops that crippled the offenses production. The Giants got things rolling by the end of the game but it was too little, too late.

Dallas, on the other hand, received a brilliant performance by quarterback Tony Romo who, despite tossing an interception early in the game, made all of the right throws and reads late. Running back DeMarco Murray seemed to get stronger as the game went on and the defense held their own.

Cornerbacks Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr did a respectable job on the outside against the Giants receivers. You could see Rob Ryan’s confidence in his young corners as he would leave them on an island on numerous occasions. The secondary also received some help from pass rusher DeMarcus Ware, who had two sacks.

Both teams need to see major improvements along the offensive line if they hope to become serious threats in the NFL playoff picture. As is always the case with teams in the season opener, there is still a lot of work to do. Regardless, it is great to have football back.